Five Lone Star Conference student-athletes were selected to receive an award from the LSC Degree Completion Scholarship program for 2009-10.

            Cameron's Renee Breeze, Tarleton State's Nicole Cone, Texas Woman's Ashley Martin, Midwestern State's Allison Schreiber and East Central's Kacey Thomas are the initial scholarship recipients.

             The purpose of the LSC Degree Completion Scholarship Program is to provide financial assistance for completion of a first baccalaureate degree to deserving student-athletes in the conference.  In the first year of the program, the league is providing more than $11,000, which is funded with assistance from the NCAA Conference Grant program.

            "The Lone Star Conference has long recognized the excellence of our teams and individuals in athletic competitions, but implementing this degree-completion program shows our student-athletes that we are equally committed to success in the classroom," said Stan Wagnon, LSC commissioner. "The recipients in this inaugural class are most deserving, and I'm confident they will provide a solid foundation upon which this program will grow for years to come."

            Breeze, a former women's golfer at CU, is completing her degree in education.  She was a four-time all-conference selection with two second team and two honorable mention nods.  Breeze was also a three-time CoSIDA Academic All-America and LSC all-academic team pick.

            Cone, who just exhausted her eligibility with Tarleton's softball team, is on track for a degree in nursing.  She was an All-LSC first teamer in 2007 and an all-academic selection in 2007 and 2008.

            Martin, a former women's softball player at TWU, is finishing her marketing degree.  She started her career as a pitcher and led the team with 101 strikeouts in 2006, before moving to first base as a junior.

            Schreiber, who finished her four-year career with MSU's volleyball team, is completing her degree in kinesiology.  She became the eighth player in conference history to achieve 5,000 career assists, ending her stellar career with a school record 5,741 assists.  Schreiber was a four-time All-LSC pick, including Setter of the Year honors in 2007, and was named Setter of the Week 15 times in her career.  She was also an All-Academic team selection in 2008. 

            Thomas, who completed her senior year of eligibility with ECU's women's basketball program, is pursuing a degree in biology.  She was All-LSC North honorable mention on the court after leading ECU in scoring (14.2 points per game) and rebounding (7.8) and was also named to the LSC North All-Academic team in 2009.